The Bnei Torah party, the Yerushalmi Degel Hatorah faction of HaRav HaGaon Shmuel Auerbach Shlita is running in the Jerusalem mayoral race and has requested using the voting code letters ‘ayin’ and ‘tzaddik’ (עץ ). The party’s mayoral candidate is Chaim Epstein, as reported earlier.
However, MK (Ra’am-Ta’al) Ibrahim Sarsour, who heads the AM (עם) list objected to Jerusalem Election Committee officials, explaining the use of the letter ‘ayin’ by Bnei Torah will lead to voter confusion. In addition, the Ometz (אומץ) party objects to the use of the tzaddik.
The election committee accepted the objections and has disqualified the Bnei Torah use of ayin and tzaddik. Of the 15 members on the election committee, 14 voted to disqualify the letters and one voted to permit their use by Bnei Torah.
Epstein does not accept the ruling, explaining he spoke with the head of “AM” before submitting the list and he approved using the ayin. He explains that is why the election committee approved using the ayin and tzaddik, because he received approval in advance. However now Sarsour has sent a letter to the election committee objecting to the use of the ayin.
For Epstein there is significance to the ayin and tzaddik, for that is what HaGaon HaRav Shach ZT”L used prior to the establishment of Degel Hatorah. Kikar Shabbat adds that Epstein and his colleagues are upset with Yahadut Hatorah as well, accusing the chareidi party of cooperating with the Arabs just to prevent them, Bnei Torah, from running in the Jerusalem race.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
1. Why not write the name of the party instead of using letters?
2. In America most states let parties use a symbol/icon. India does likewise (albeit for a different set of reasons).
OMG….is this now Machlokes time over the letters…
Go with kuf and kuf, letters not used very often..
too bad they don’t disqualify this party altogether, it is an affront to decent working Torah people.
Wonderful, now they have an excuse why nobody voted for them. It’s all in the letters.
to number 2, bklynmom
they should use the letters ‘kuf’ and ‘peh sofit’ it is a more adequate inscription of the party.
Before the days of religious websites, I got my news from regular news sites.
Back then I felt respect towards all Rabbi ‘s.
Since the advent of charedi sites, where every Rabbi is portrayed pretty much as a political louse empty of any tora, I find it real hard to respect them.
I have no basis for these judgements other than the free hand that charedi sites give to blatant loshon hara, and sinas chinam.
I may not see improper images on charedi sites as opposed to the regular news sites, but every time I see a Rabbi now in the street I turn down my eyes to avoid sin.
Forget about the letters, a childish issue, and focus on the fact that like Leon, Epstien is another chareidi carpetbagger with out local residence.